Roller-skate.



No. 865,441. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

} G. S. SLOCUM.

ROLLER SKATE.

APPLICATION FILED use. e. 1906.

UNITED STATES GEORGE S. SLOOUM, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed December 6, 1906. Serial No. 346,601.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. SLooUM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newport, county of Newport, Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of roller skates in which the rollers are so mounted upon the foot plate of the skate that when pressure is applied upon one side or the other of the foot plate by reason of the natural inclination of the body of the user, the roller carrying trucks will turn causing the rollers to run on a curve toward that side upon which pressure is brought to bear.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and durable construction the parts of which may be readily assembled or adjusted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of alining devices for returning the trucks into the same straight line after the pressure which has deflected them is removed which are not subject to unequal wear by reason of the deflecting pressure being more frequently upon one side than upon the other and which will therefore offer a uniform resistance to the deflection of the trucks in either direction.

A further object is to provide a construction in which there is an effective spring or cushioning action which prevents unpleasant jars and vibrations when passing over uneven surfaces or slight obstructions.

In practicing my invention I provide spring supports for the saddles or brackets in which the roller carrying trucks are mounted, consisting of leaf springs connecting the inner ends of the saddles with the foot plate and springs interposed between the outer ends of the saddles and the foot plate on opposite sides of the pivotal axes of the trucks. This construction provides for an effective cushioning or taking up of all shocks and jars while allowing the saddles to yield with increasing resistance to accommodate themselves to strains or heavy pressures which may be brought to bear upon them. The cushioning effect may be increased by combining a spring foot plate with the spring supports and I prefer to employ such a foot plate in practicing my invention.

The alining devices which I employ for returning the roller carrying truck to mid position when the deflecting pressure is relieved consist of two cooperating surfaces on the truck and saddle held together by a spring which yields to allow one of said surfacesto move longitudinally of the pivotal axis of the truck as the truck turns in either direction. In this construction the same spring acts to resist the turning movement of the truck in either direction and consequently affords a uniform resistance to the turning of the truck which is unaffected by the excessive turn ing in one direction which usually occurs in the ordinary use of roller skates.

The various features of the invention Will be pointed out in the claims and will be readily understood from the following detailed description of a skate embodying these features in the form in which I prefer to use them. Such a skate is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, the supporting devices for the front rollers being shown in section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the plate for supporting the alining spring and varying its tension.

In the construction shown in the drawings the front rollers 1 of the skate are journaled upon an axle 2 which is in turn mounted within a transverse bearing 3 formed on the roller carrying truck or axle support 4.

The truck 4 is provided at its upper end with a cylindrical portion 5 the axis of which is in a plane at right angles to the axis of the bearing 3 and the upper surface of Which forms a cylindrical bearing surface upon which the truck turns when pressure is applied to either side of the foot plate 6.

The truck is mounted in a saddle or bracket 7 which is provided with a bearing 8 with which the cylindrical bearing surface of the truck engages. The axis of the bearing surface 8 is inclined forward and upwardly and is made up of two longitudinally extending surfaces separated by a slot 9.

The truck 4 is provided with a lug 10 arranged to play between the sides of the slot 9 the proportions of the lug and slot being such that the truck may have a limited turning movement in either direction from its mid position. The lug 10 and sides of the slot 9 thus form stops for limiting the turning movement of the truck in either direction.

The forward end of the cylindrical portion 5 of the truck is provided with a surface 11 which is inclined to the axis of the cylindrical porton and is held in engagement with a similarly arranged surface 12 on the saddle by means of a spring 13. "he spring 13 is mounted within a recess 14 in the cylindrical part of the truck and its rear end is supported upon a stud 15 which projects from a plate 16 secured to the saddle. The rear end of the spring bears against the plate 16 while the free end of the spring forces a pin 17 against the inner end of the recess 14. The inner end of the pin 17 is conical in shape and is fitted within a conical seat or bearing 18 formed in the inner end of the recess 14, the axis of the bearing coinciding with the axis of the bearing 8. With this construction the spring 13 and the alining surfaces 11 and 12 act to hold the truck in mid position with the bearing surface onthe part 5 of the truck in engagement with the 110 bearing surface 8 of the saddle. When pressure is applied to either side of the foot plate 6 the truck will turn in the saddle until the lug 10 brings up against one side of the slot 9, the surface 11 acting against the surface 12 to force the truck longitudinally of the bearing surface 8 and the spring 13 yielding to allow this movement. As soon as the side pressure on the foot plate is relieved the spring 13 acts to move the truck longitudinally of the bearing surface 8 in the opposite direction until the surfaces 11 and 12 again coincide when the truck will again be in mid position.

The plate 16 is provided near its upper end with a recess 19 which fits over a lug 21 projecting from the inner end of the saddle. An adjusting screw 22 is threaded in the saddle and is arranged to engage the lower edge 23 of the recess 19. The plate is secured in adjusted position upon the saddle by means of a screw 24 which passes through an elongated opening in the plate and is threaded in the saddle. By adjusting the screws 21 and 24 the position of the plate 16 may be varied to vary the tension of the spring 13 and also to bring the stud 15 into proper alinement with the recess in the truck. In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in the adjustment which they would have in order to secure the greatest tension in the spring 13. If it is desired to lessen the tension on the spring 13 the screw 24 may be loosened and'the screw 22 tightened so as to carry the upper end of the plate slightly away from the end of the saddle.

The saddle 7 is supported from the foot plate 6 by means of a leaf spring 25 secured to the inner end of the saddle and two studs 26 depending from the foot plate and extending through ears 27 formed on the outer end of the saddle on opposite sides of the bearing surface S. The studs 26 are provided with heads 29 underlying the ears 27 and heavy coil springs 30 are interposed between the foot plate and these ears. The leaf spring 25 and springs 30 form a spring support between the saddle and foot plate which will yield under pressure applied to the foot plate and will act to cushion and take up any shocks or vibrations produced by running over uneven surfaces or by encountering slight obstacles. These supporting springs will also allow slight movements of the saddle in any direction to accommodate the strains and pressures which may be encountered and will return the saddle to its normal position immediately such strains or pressures are removed.

The rear rollers are mounted and connected with the foot plate by devices which have the same construction and mode of operation as the devices already described in connection with the front rollers, the only difference being that the saddle is arranged in reverse position so that the pivotal axis of the truck is inclined rearward and upward instead of forward and upward.

For the sake of simplicity the leaf springs 25 which 7 support the inner ends of the saddles are formed from one and the same piece of metal which is secured to the foot plate midway between the saddles by a screw 31.

In order to increase the cushioning effect I prefer to form the foot plate 6 of spring metal. With the foot plate thus constructed and connected with the saddles by the spring supports described, the foot plate and leaf springs 25 will bow downward somewhat under the pressure applied to the foot plate thus increasing the cushioning effect.

While I prefer to employ the specific form of devices and the specific arrangement shown and described and to employ all the various features in a single construction, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the specific construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from my invention and it will also be understood that various features of the invention may be-employed with advantage in constructions which do not embody all the features of invention.

Without attempting to set forth in detail the various forms under which the invention may be embodied, what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz- 1, A roller skate having in combination a foot plate, forward and rear saddles provided with oppositely inclined bearings, roller carrying trucks mounted in said bearings, alining devices for returning the trucks to mid position when deflected in either direction, leaf springs connecting the inner ends of the saddles with the foot plate, and springs interposed between the foot plate and the outer ends of the saddles on opposite sides of the pivotal axes of the trucks.

2. A roller skate having in combination a foot, plate, forward and rear saddles, roller carrying trucks mounted therein, leaf springs connecting the inner ends of the saddles with the foot plate. and springs interposed between the outer ends of the saddles and the foot plate.

8. A roller skate having in combination a spring foot plate, forward and rear saddles, roller carrying trucks mounted therein, leaf springs connecting the inner ends of the saddles with the foot plate, and springs interposed between the outer ends 01? the saddles and the foot plate.

4. A roller skate having in combination a roller carrying truck, a saddle having an inclined bearing in which the truck is mounted, a leaf spring supporting the inner end of the saddle, and springs supporting the outer end of the saddle on opposite sides of the pivotal axis of the truck.

A roller skate having in combination a roller carrying truck provided with a cylindrical bearing surface, a saddle provided with a cooperating bearing, a slot in said bearing, a lug on the truck playing between the sides of said slot, at surface at the end of the truck inclined to the axis of the bearing, a coiiperating surface on the saddle, and a spring for holding said surfaces together.

6. A roller skate having in combination a saddle 7 7 provided with a bearing surface 8 and a slot 9, a truck 4 provided with a cylindrical part 5 and a lug 10, an inclined surface 11 on the end of the part 5, a cooperating surface 12 on the saddle, a plate 16 secured to the saddle, and a spring 13 interposed between the plate and the truck.

T. A roller skate having in combination a saddle 7 provided with a bearing 8, a truck 4 provided with a cylindrical part 5, a surface 11 on the end of the part 5, a corresponding surface 12 on the saddle, a plate 16 secured to the saddle, and a spring 13 interposed between the plate and the truck.

8. A roller skate having in combination a saddle 7 provided with a bearing 8, a truck 4 provided with a cylindrical part 5, an inclined surface 11 at the end of the part 5, a cooperating surface 12 on the saddle, a recess 14 in the truck, a plate 16 connected with the saddle, and a spring 13 within the recess 14 and bearing against the plate 16.

9. A roller skate having in combination a saddle, a roller carrying truck mounted in the saddle, a leaf spring 25 on which the inner end of the saddle is mounted, studs 26 supporting the outer end of the saddle, and springs 30 mounted upon said studs.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 27th day of November, 1906.

GEO. S. SLOCUM.

In the presence of- Jenn F. .T. OCONNOR, Ma'r'rnnw H. MCSHA 

